


True Guilt

by Dragonprayer



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Abuse, Bad Ending, Character Death, Heavy Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-10 10:45:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7841698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonprayer/pseuds/Dragonprayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He destroyed the evidence, and he thought that Adachi would never call him. But everything changes when the phone rings and he hears: return to Inaba</p><p>*REWRITTEN*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

" But I ain't seen nobody move that weren't going for the door...."

~*~

Guilt.

~*~

The calendar couldn't lie, of that he was sure. 

Still, it was hard to believe he was already living for a full month at his own home. During that time he hadn't received a single text message or phone call from his friends. He didn't blame them, even better, he had expected them not to contact him. After all, they didn't manage to solve the cases and they left a dangerous murderer roaming in the streets.  
There was evidence, yes, but for some reason it was nowhere to be found. No one knew what had happened to it, and thanks to that Namatame had to pay.

It had been all over the news. 

What you ask? Well, the execution of course! The poor innocent man was supposed to get life sentence, but the people weren't satisfied with that. Oh no, they wanted blood. An eye for an eye is what they say yes?  
The poor man was strapped into a chair, and while he screamed he got served by a deadly dose of electricity through his body.  
Such a painful death.  
Souji Seta had been witness to it, hell, probably whole japan had been witness to it. It was shown on the TV during the day like it was just a normal broadcast.  
He didn't want to see it, no. Because, the person that was fuming on that chair was supposed to be him. But, he had to see it. He was being ordered to see it.  
The phone would ring, and a very familiar voice said the words. " Turn the TV on, and watch "  
With tears in his eyes he would witness the whole execution, only to turn the TV off when it was made known that Namatame was dead. He had cried that whole afternoon until he thought he couldn't produce anymore tears, and afterwards he threw up several times.

The weeks after the execution had been empty and cold. Souji had to attend school again, and of course he met up with his old friends.  
God, they were so dull.  
Girls, sex, booze... Those three things were the only topics they seemed to know and talk about. He would meet his friends a few more times until he finally broke contact with them. They didn't seem to care much, since they only told him he had changed and that he himself was boring.  
Thus, he was alone at school. His classmates began to ignore him to boot, talking behind his back about how he was involved in the killing spree in Inaba.  
Fine.  
He didn't need his former friends, he didn't need his classmates, and most of all he didn't need his parents. His mother and father didn't even bother to pick him up from the station when he had moved back home. No, he had to walk two hours or so only to be greeted by an empty house. There was a note on the fridge: Work, will be home tomorrow. Gosh, they really did honor to the Dojima name. Work was more important than family apparently.  
Did the note say 'will be home tomorrow?' dang, they are liars too. They never came home that day, or the day after that. Because after working overseas for so long they had decided they needed a vacation. Vacation! Just the two of them, because they had such tough lives.  
Souji wasn't invited. 

The nights had been terrible for him the past few days. He would dream of Nanako and the beeping of the life support when her heart died down. Or he would dream of Namatame's execution. He didn't knew which dream scared him the more, but he would always wake up screaming. Eventually he would feel the tears streaming down his face, and while he wept he would hug his pillow close to his chest.  
Today had been no different. 

He gave the calendar one last stare and just before he wanted to walk downstairs for some breakfast he heard the beeping of his cell phone. His eyes shot to his desk, and for a moment he didn't move. He could feel the cold sweat streaming down his back.  
He didn't want to answer the call, but he had to. With shaky hands he took his cell from the table and placed it at his right ear.

" Return to Inaba "

~*~

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

" I'll see you on your way down " 

~*~

True Guilt.

~*~

For a moment the boy simply stared at his cellphone, almost hoping that that call never happened and he could resume his empty life. But his eyes widened and his breathing became unstable when he realized that his worst fear just became true. That one call he never wanted to get...  
He screamed and before he could stop himself he threw his cellphone against the wall. It felt good doing that, but almost immediately a second wave of panic threatened to choke him. Shit! If he destroyed that phone he would be in so much trouble. His....'partner'.... in crime would certainly see that as him trying to break contact with him. As if approaching a snake, he slowly walked to the cellphone and with trembling hands he picked it up. Souji began to hit some random buttons, and he began to breathe more easily once he saw that everything was still working.  
The teen sat down with his back against the wall and with tired eyes he watched the screen from his phone. It showed him one message: ' accepted call from Adachi '  
He had no choice... He had to go back...  
A faint smile appeared on his lips while his thumb scrolled to the cellphone number from his beloved uncle. If he were to return to Inaba then he needed a place to stay. And with his parents gone like usual, he had the perfect excuse to move in again. He was certain that his uncle would welcome him back with open arms like he always did in the past.  
He clicked on Dojima's name....

The trip to Inaba had been very dull. There weren't many people on the train, and those that were kept pretty much to themselves. He could hear some whispers about some strange mist appearing around Inaba and people getting sick from it.  
Souji reached for his cellphone and attached his headphone to it. Then he scrolled around a bit for some good music and began to listen to it. He knew about the mist, and he knew that it was getting thicker. It had been on the news for some time, but it was easy to forget since it hadn't spread to the big city yet. But now that he had to return, he had once again to deal with the consequence of his choice. It scared him, so he turned the volume from his music to max and closed his eyes.

A few hours later he woke up. His gaze went to the window and he noticed that it was starting to get foggy outside. He recognized the endless grasslands, but due to the fog he couldn't see very far. The silverhead rubbed his temples and stood up. In a few minutes he would hear the loudspeakers tell him that they had arrived at Inaba.

The fog was even worse then he had expected. When Souji stepped out of the train he noticed he couldn't even see the parking area. He walked down the stairs in the hope to see a familiar face.

And that face was there.

Souji hurried and when he was close enough he hugged the person lovingly. He instantly felt two strong arms around his back returning the hug, and he heard a happy snicker that belonged to his uncle Ryotaro Dojima. They just stood there for a second--hugging.

Shortly after Nanako's death, Souji and Dojima had become very close. Since they both grieved over the person they had lost, they found that they could find comfort in each other. They both did everything they could to give Nanako the best funeral possible, and aftermath they would drink at some random pub. During those drinks they forged a tight bond that resembled a father-son one.

It was no surprise that Dojima was happy to see his little nephew. That way, if he went home from work, he wouldn't enter a big, empty, lonely home.

" It's good to see you. " Said Dojima when he released his nephew.

" Yea... " Replied the silverhead.

Without saying anything else they headed for the car, and the detective drove them back safely to the Dojima household.

After Souji made sure he had unpacked his bag, he walked downstairs. He found his uncle already busy preparing a cup of coffee for the both of them. The boy headed for the table where he, his uncle, and Nanako would've had their dinners. He lowered himself until he sat on his knees, and his eyes trailed immediately to the empty spot to his right. If he closed his eyes he could still hear the happy laughter of his niece when he tried to show her a magic trick.

" Here you go. " Said Dojima when he placed a cup of coffee on the table.

" Thanks. " 

The man took a long sip from his coffee. 

" I...hadn't quite expected you to come back this quick. " Began his uncle. 

Souji bit his lower lip until he replied with. " My parents. They decided they needed a vacation instead of acting like real adults and take care of their child. "

" I see, yea you mentioned something like that on the phone. They are still way too busy with themselves huh? My sister hasn't changed at all. " 

The teen rolled his eyes.

" However-- " Began Dojima, looking very serious all of a sudden. "--I didn't accept you here just because I wanted your company. You see, ever since you left Inaba something just didn't feel... right. I can't explain the feeling, but something was off. I've sought contact with Shirogane, and together we've reopened the case... In secret of course. " 

Souji nearly choked in his drink. " Naoto? "

" Yes, it seems that she too was struggling to believe that Namatame was the true killer. We've met in secret several times now, reviewing everything that had happened so far. Sadly we haven't found anything yet, but I was hoping you could change that. "

The boy felt so sick suddenly that he felt like he was about to throw up. His uncle and Naoto were working on the case? What if they found anything!? His mind began to race and he could feel how his palms began to sweat. Calm down... calm the hell down! You will only make yourself look more suspicious if you act like a deranged penguin. 

" You want my help? " replied Souji as calm and normal as he could. 

" Yes... I want to catch the real killer. I owe that to Nanako. "

Just as the boy opened his mouth to say something back they heard the doorbell ring. Dojima raised an eyebrow in surprise and stood up. He slowly walked to the door and a few second later you could hear how he opened the door. It stayed silent for a while until two voices could be heard. They weren't talking loud enough to hear who they were, but one probably belonged to Dojima... and the other one was most definitely a male as well. Souji narrowed his eyes and began to concentrate on the voices. Maybe, with a bit of luck, he could hear what they were talking about. Sadly, the voices stopped as quick as they had begun and instead the sound of footsteps could be heard. First Dojima appeared... and then... Adachi. 

Souji's eyes shot wide open when he saw the face of the young detective. His heart almost skipped a beat and the sick feeling had returned in his stomach. This was the first time he saw Adachi after their encounter in the interrogation room. 

" Souji-kun. " Said the happy-go-lucky voice of the murderer. " What a surprise! I didn't know you were already back. " 

Sick bastard, of course you knew of it. You were the one that ordered him back!

At a loss of words he simply gave a nod in return. This made Adachi smile so deep that it made him show his teeth.

" His parents are out for several weeks, probably, so I agreed to take him in again " Said Dojima as a matter of fact.

" Wow, I see. Well, I guess you kids don't have it easy huh? " 

" Anyway, what brought you here? " continued the detective.

" The higher-ups wanted to speak with you. " 

Again Dojima raised his eyebrow.

" And you had to come all this way just to tell me that? You could've called me on my mobile you dumbass! " 

Adachi released a sheepish laugh. " Oh... Now that you mention it... Oops? " 

A sigh. " I guess you will never change. Fine, let's head back to the police station and see what they have to say. " 

" Okay, but...would you mind heading to the car without me? I want to ask Souji-kun something. " 

" Sure, whatever. Just hurry up. " 

And with that Dojima left. Both Souji's and Adachi's eyes were fixed on the door, and when they heard it slamming shut they shot to each other. It stayed silent for a while until hell broke loss. Souji, panicked, wanted to stand up and try to get away from the wolf in sheep's clothing. But Adachi, already anticipating that move, was faster to react. He grabbed the boy by his hair and slammed his face into the table. The boy released a yell of pain and managed to turn his face so that his cheek was resting on the table now. 

" You little shit! " Hissed Adachi. " Just what was it that you were about to say? huh!? " 

" N-Nothing! " Whimpered Souji, tasting the sour taste of metal in his mouth. He whimpered even harder when he felt something pressing against his other cheek. The loop of Adachi's gun was pressed even harder, bruising skin if he kept that up.

" Don't you dare to tell him anything you sick fuck! Remember, I see everything. "

He released the frightened youth's hair and put the gun back in its holster.

" We have a lot to talk about, you and me. Sadly, your retarded uncle prevents us from it. I'm afraid we have to save it for next time. If I don't hurry back to the car it will look... suspicious " 

The man turned around and headed for the door.

" By the way... Namatame's execution... wasn't it beautiful? The sucker kept crying and screaming that he was innocent and no one listened to him. Another victim of our collaboration don't you agree? Hahahaha!! " 

The laughing kept filling the house until it slowly died down and the door got opened and closed. Souji, still lying on the table, could feel his heart beating in his throat. He was so terrified that he didn't even bother to get off the furniture. No, instead he could feel how tears began to stream down his face. Just what did he get himself into? Why did he burn the evidence? Why did he want to protect Adachi so bad? If only he had answers to those questions... but sadly he didn't. Eventually he managed to pull himself up and with wobbly legs he made his way to the sink. Almost immediately he began to throw up several times until nothing was left in his stomach. 

Once again he saw images of Namatame's face as he was about to be electrocuted. The man was dead, and that was all thanks to him. It was the executioner that flipped the switch, but it might as well be him. After all, he had burned the evidence that Adachi was the killer, and thereby sentenced Namatame to death. This... was the first time Souji killed someone, and it was killing him inside. 

Until he thought he couldn't throw up any more, he began to wash his face and afterwards he cleaned the sink. Right, calm down, and think. Okay. Adachi mentioned that he saw everything right? Then how in the world did he--

ah...

The TV, of course! Adachi was in the TV when Souji was talking with his uncle, and he probably heard their conversation on the other side. Still, how did he manage to get out so fast and enter the Dojima household? No, no no no... that couldn't be it. because as far as he was concerned the only person that could create exits in the other world was Teddie. So there was no way that Adachi could've entered and left as he pleased. That left only one option. The boy looked around and began to inspect the entire living room until he found what he was looking for.

Cameras...

Well, that explained a lot. Souji sighed. He was being watched, like a predator would watch its prey.  
His first reaction was to remove the camera's, but who knows how Adachi would react when he found out he couldn't spy anymore? No, for the sake of his safety, and that of his uncles, he kept them in place. He frowned as he realized that the bathroom could have a camera too... or two... or three. Well, that was something he had to pound over some other time because he was just so damn tired. The trip and the encounter with Adachi had made him feel completely worn out.  
If he was going to face Adachi later on, he was certain he was going to need all of his strength. So with heavy legs he walking upstairs back to his bedroom.  
He didn't even bother to get undressed, he could do that when he woke up. He unrolled his futon, grabbed his sheets and fell backwards. He eyed the ceiling for a while until his eyelids became so heavy that he had to close them. It didn't take long before he fell asleep, and for the first time in a long while he had a happy dream of Nanako and himself having a picnic together with his friends...

However, the front door of house remained unlocked.... And he would soon regret that mistake....

To be continued~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much the same as the original. Though the beginning is different, and some of the dialogue has been changed.


End file.
